Feed-water regulator.



No. 884,913. r YPATENTED 'APR.'14, 190s,

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- FEED WATER REGULATOR.

APPLICATION. FILED JARSO. 1907.

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I INVENTOH I CZagztarz JE fizmhzz ATTORNEYS ms NORRIS PETERS cm.wAsnmarmq. u. c.

WITNESSES I PATENTEDIAPR.14,1908.- G-i APDUNHAM. FEED. WATER RBGULA'TOR.APPLIQATION FILED, JAN. 30. 1907.

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J y I M J 3f 7 l Q 41 lNVENTORJ 40 v 'Zagza/zflflaizizam ATTORNEYS msnonms qsrsns ca, WASHINGTON, 2. cf

' HAM, a citizen of the United States, and a CLAYTON AUBRA DUNHAM, OFMARSHALLTOWN, IOWA.

FEED-WATER REGULATOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented April 14, 1908.

Application filed January 30, 1907. Serial No. 354,824.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CLAYTON AUBRA DUN- resident of Marshalltown, in thecounty of Marshall and State of Iowa, have invented a new and ImprovedFeed-Water Regulator, of which the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription.

This invention relates to certain improvements in vacuum vapor orpressure heating systems, and more particularly to improvements in thesystem disclosed and claimed in my United States Patent No. 816,972,granted April 3, 1906.

The object of the invention is to provide an improved means forautomatically regulating and controlling the pump which returns thewater of condensation from the radiators to the boiler, whereby the pumpwill be automatically started in operation upon the accumulation of apredetermined quantity of water in the receiver and the operation of thepump interrupted when the water falls below said predetermined limit.

The invention conslsts in certain features of construction andcombination of parts, all of which will be fully set forth-hereinafterand particularly pointed out in the claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forming a part ofthis specification, in which similar characters of reference indicatecorres onding parts in both the figures, in whic Figure 1 is a sideelevation of one embodiment of my improved system; and Fig. 2 is avertical longitudinal section through the automatic air relief and pumpgovernor.

In connection with my improved system I employ a boiler 10 of anysuitable type adapted for the generation of steam, and connected to thisboiler is the main steam delivery pipe 11.

In the form of my invention illustrated in the accompanying drawings,the delivery main 11 leads through the separator 12 to any suitable formof steam engine 13 controlled by a throttle valve 14, said separatorserving to remove any water of condensation which may be present in thesteam and prevent said water from entering the engine. This engine maybe employed for any suitable purpose desired, and the exhaust steam fromsaid engine employed for heating purposes. The said exhaust steam isconducted through a conduit 15 to a feed-water heater 16 of any suitablecharacter, and delivered from said feed-water heater through a conduit17. This conduit is connected to the heating main 18 and also tothe ventpipe 19v leading to the roof of the building. The heating main isprovided with valves 20 of any suitable character and preferably theautomatic thermostatic traps 26 to the return pipes 27. These latterdeliver through a common return pipe 28 to the receiver 29, and fromthis receiver the liquid is pumped through the feed-water heater andback to the boiler. The vent ipe 19 is provided with a back ressure vave 30, and the conduit 17 leading steam from the feed-water heater isconnected to the steam main 11 by a branch conduit 31, including apressure reducing valve 32, wherebyif the engine is stopped on if thepressure within the radiators becomes reduced below a predeterminedlimit, fresh steam may pass directly from the steam main 11 to theheating main 18 until the said pressure has been restored.

The specific form of automatic air relief and pum governor which Ipreferably employ, is ilustrated more in detail in Fig. 2, andpreferably comprises a cylindrical body portlon having the inlet conduit28 connected thereto at a point adjacent the upper end, and having adelivery conduit 33 leading from a point adjacent the lower end anddelivering to the water cylinder of a steam pump 34. The receiver 29 isprovided with a false bottom 35 which may, if desired, be inte ral withthe walls of the receiver, and direct y below this false bottom 35 is asecond or outer bottom 36. These two bottoms are spaced apart to form achamber 37 therebetween w ich chamber communicates with the atmosphereby means of a centrally-disposed tube 38 passing through the falsebottom 35 and through the top 39 of the receiver. The space between thetwo bottoms 35 and 36 is sub-divided by .an imperforate flexiblediaphragm 40 having its edges ri 'dly secured between the two bottoms. Tlie space beneath the diaphragm communicates with whereby thefluctuations in the level of the water in the receiver serve to forcethe air out of the system.

The steam pump 34 is of any suitable construction and adapted to beoperated by steam delivered thereto through a conduit 44 leading fromthe steam main 11. l/Vithin thislconduit is interposed a valve e0nnected to and operated by the diaphragm 40 above referred to. The valve 45is prefer- V ably located within a valve casing 46 supported upon thereceiver 29, and the valve stem 47 leads through a packing box 48 to apoint directly above the centrally-disposed tube 38. The valve stem ishere connected to a rod 49 leading through said tube and connecteddirectly to the diaphragm 40. At the point of connection between thevalve stem 47 and the rod 49, there is interposed a yoke through whichpasses a lever arm 50 pivotally connected to a bracket 51 which supportsthe valve casing, and upon the outer end of this lever is provided aweight 52 of any suitable character.

Thetube 38 is open directly to the atmosphere, and as no liquid canreach the upper side of the diaphragm 40, the latter is at all timessubjected to atmospheric pressure. The lower side of the diaphragm 40 isdirectly exposed to the pressure of the liquid within the receiver 29except when valve 57 is closed,

and as liquid accumulates in said receiver, the ressure increases andtends to lift the diap ragm 40 in opposition to the action of the weight52. As the diaphragm rises the motion is imparted directly to the valve45, and as this valve opens, the small steam pump 34 is started inoperation and withdraws the water of condensation from the receiver 29and delivers it through a conduit 53 to the feed-water heater 16, fromwhich it may pass to the boiler through a suitable conduit 54.

In the operation of my im roved heating system, steam is employed fbrheating the water of condensation before said water is returned to theboiler and the steam is then delivered under a constant but rather lowpres sure to the heating main 18. This main connects directly withsupply pipes leading to all of the radiators, the delivery of steam tosaid radiators being readily controlled by the valves 25.

within the radiators and the water of condensation reaches thethermostatic valves 26, it may readily flow from the radiators to thereturn pipes 27, but as soon as the air and the water of condensationhave all left the radiators the thermostatic valves 26 automaticallyclose and, prevent the escape of steam. The return pipes 27 all deliverto the pipe 28 leading to the receiver 29, from which receiver the wateris pumped through the feedwater heater to the boiler and the air escapesthrough vent pipe 55 and check valve 56 to the atmosphere. In startingthe system the weight 52 is raised, by hand, thus raising the diaphragmand drawing air through the passage 41 to the space beneath the dia)hragm. The valve is then closed and the escape ol the air prevented,whereby the diaphragm is held in its raised position and the valve -215, which is rigidly connected to the diaphragm, is held in its openposition. Steam may thus pass the valve 45 and operate the pump which isallowed to run until the air is sucked out of the system, the pump beingallowed to discharge to the atmosphere rather than int o the boiler asin the normal operation. The valve 57 is then opened and steam turnedinto the heating system, after which the operation continuesautomatically. Upon the accumulation of water within the receiver 29,the steam pump 34 immediately and automatically starts in operationagain and the water is forced into the boiler until the level withinsaid receiver has been reduced below the predetermined limit. The pumpserves to maintain a partial vacuum in. the return conduit, and alsoserves to remove all water from the system. If the steam is condensingrapidly in the radiators, the pump 34 would operate continuously, but asthe rate of condensation decreases and the supply of water to thereceiver 29 is less than the capacity of the pump, the diaphragm 40 willfall and the pump cease its operations until the water has againaccumulated.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secureby .ljetters Patent:

1. A device of the class described, comprising a receiver having aninlet and an outlet, a diaphragm within said receiver and havingonesurface thereof exposed to the fluid within the receiver and theother surface exposed to atmospheric pressure, means operativelyconnected. to said diaphragm for controlling the withdrawal of liquidfrom said outlet, and means for shutting ofl' com munication betweensaid receiver and the surface of said diaphragm.

2. A device of the class described, comprising a receiver having aninlet and an outlet and. having an inner and an outer bottom forming achamber therebetween, a diaphragm within said chamber, a conduit lead-As soon as the steam condenses 1 ing from said chamber at one side ofthe diaphragm to the outside atmosphere, a conduit eading from saidchamber at the other side of the diaphragm and communicating with theinterior of the receiver, and means operatively connected to saiddiaphragm for controlling the withdrawal of fluid from said receiver.

3. A device of the class described, comrising a receiver having aninletand an outet and having an inner and an outer bottom forming a chambertherebetween, a diaphragm within said chamber, a conduit leading fromsaid chamber at one side of the diaphragm to the outside atmosphere, aconduit eading from said chamber at the other side of the diaphragm andcommunicating with the interior of the receiver, means for controllingsaid last mentioned conduit, and means operatively connected to saiddiaphragm for controlling the withdrawal of .uid from said receiver.

4. A device of the class described, comprising a receiver having apartition wall subdividing the receiver into two chambers, an inlet andan outlet for one of said chambers, a diaphragm within the other chamberand having one surface exposed to atmospheric pressure, a conduitleading from the first mentioned chamber to the last mentioned chamber"at the other side of the diaphragm, a valve controlled by the movementof said diaphragm, and means for controlling said conduit.

5. A controller for feed pum s, comprising a receiver through which theiquid flows to the inlet of the pump a conduit for supplying a motivefluid for operating said pump, a valve insaid conduit, a diaphragmWithin said receiver and having one surface thereof exposed to the fluidwithin thereceiver and the other surface exposed to atmosphericpressure, means connecting said diaphragm to said valve for operatingthe latter, and

means for shutting off communication be tween said receiver and thesurface of said diaphragm.

6. A heating system, comprising a receiver for the water ofcondensation, a pump connected to said receiver and adapted to returnthe water of condensation to the boiler, said receiver having inner andouter bottoms forming a chamber therebetween, a diaphragm within saidchamber, a conduit lead? ing from the chamber at a point above thediaphragm to the outside atmosphere, a conduit connecting the chamberbelow the diaphragm to the interior of .the receiver, and meansconnected to said diaphragm and ex: tending throughsaid first mentionedconduit for automatically controlling the operation of the pump.

7. A heating system, comprising a receiver for the water ofcondensation, a ump having its suction chamber connecte to said receiverand adapted vto return the water of condensation to the boiler, a motorfor oper- 'ating said pump, a conduit adapted to de liver a motive fluidto said motor, a valve casing in said conduit and supported upon saidreceiver, a valve within said valve casing, said receiver being providedwith an inner and an outer bottom forming a chamber therebetween, animperforate' diaphragm Within said chamber, a conduit connecting thechamber below the diaphragm with the outside atmosphere, and a rodconnecting said diaphragm and said valve, whereby the operation of theump may be automatically controlled according to the quantity of waterof condensation in the receiver.

8. A device of the class described, comprising a receiver having atransverse partition subdividing it into two compartments,

' an inlet and an outlet for the upper compartment, a tube extendingthrough the upper compartment and communicating with the lowercompartment, a diaphragm in the lower compartment, a conduit connectingthe upper compartment with the lower compartment below the diaphragm, aconduit, a valve for controlling said last-mentioned conduit, and meansextending through said tube and operatively connecting said diaphragmand said valve.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

CLAYTON AUBRA DUNHAM.

Witnesses:

' RoY N. COATS,

EDWARD T. FLANAGAN, Jr.

